mfg Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Something that I've noticed over the years: In all my trips to auto savage yards, (boneyards!), I've never found an Avanti of ANY year amongst the scrapped cars. Studebakers?...sometimes..Packards..not lately, but years ago yes...but Avantis...NEVER! I used to think it was because of the 'exotic' fiberglass body....but I've sure seen plenty of Chevrolet Corvettes in auto graveyards.....QUESTION....Has anyone out there in Avantiland come across a derilict Avanti in a boneyard while on a search for parts for some other cars or trucks??...Comments welcome..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Like you, I've never seen an Avanti in a boneyard, but have seen a few left derelict in yards and fields. Damn shame, too. They don't do well just left to sit like that. I'm sure the owners who won't let them go think they're sitting on a gold mine that's just deteriorating away to parts car status, if that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAWen Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Back in 1973 while scrounging a junkyard in central Connecticut for parts for my 62 GT serial number 62V-10001, I found a complete, but rolled 1964 Avanti R1, 4 speed. I tried to buy the complete car, but it, and nothing on it were for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Kile Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Mine was totaled in 1998 and before I could salvage anything off of it (the hood and back glass weren't damaged) It was sent to the crusher! Charlie RQB3921 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted November 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Back in 1973 while scrounging a junkyard in central Connecticut for parts for my 62 GT serial number 62V-10001, I found a complete, but rolled 1964 Avanti R1, 4 speed. I tried to buy the complete car, but it, and nothing on it were for sale. I have to ask......Does the serial # 62V10001 indicate that your '62 GT Hawk was the very first one produced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAWen Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 MFG, that serial number was issued for the very first 1962 GT Hawk. More precisely, the White show car. There were two show cars, a white one and one in black (ser.# 62v-10002) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1963r2 Posted November 27, 2014 Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Wasn't the Avanti in "Mythbusters" and for along time on ebay located in a wreckers yard? pb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted November 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Wasn't the Avanti in "Mythbusters" and for along time on ebay located in a wreckers yard? pb I missed that....Really don't know which Avanti this is.....Can you give us more info on this?.....Interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1963r2 Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 I forget the colour but it was around the San Fran area. It was on ebay for ages at a rather high Bin price. It used to get commented on quite regularly. It sold a few years ago. Gunslinger should remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 If it's the one I remember it was in Georgia at Frank Mitchell Motors. He's big in the Mopar world...and not necessarily in a good way. He holds high prices on everything...especially if he knows it's a hard to find item. I'm big on the free market and and the market sets the selling price but I think he moves the decimal point over a place or two on his inventory. That Avanti he had never had updated photos and I think his asking price was something like $9995 or close to that...with little information and only a couple of photos. I've no idea what ever happened to that car...whether he still has it or eventually found a buyer or scrapped it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1963r2 Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 That's the one GS. My reference to San Fran was way off. Was Frank Mitchell Motors an Auto graveyard ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 i don't know if Mitchell Mototrs was a graveyard or active dealer and supplier. I knew them from when I had a '67 Dodge Charger and saw the prices he wanted for NOS and repop Mopar items. When that Avanti was on eBay I recognized the seller ID as Mitchell Motors. He was not well thought of by the Mopar community but he didn't appear to care...he had the rare parts and could dictate what he wanted for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted November 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 I think the reason (Studebaker) Avantis were kept out of auto scrapyards parallels why very few '55-'57 Ford Thunderbirds were also seldom seen in these locations. As opposed to the more mundane Studebakers, (and Fords), Avantis and T-Birds always kept a considerably higher retail value than their lesser brothers. For example, back in 1966 I came upon a 1964 Studebaker Lark 'Cruiser' in a local salvage yard....this Lark had very low mileage, and was loaded with Stude options right down to Avanti disc brakes. This car was in near perfect shape excepting for a bashed in right front fender, grille panel, and bumper. (No frame damage) This Lark was considered totaled, and was later crushed and scrapped. I highly doubt that a Studebaker Avanti (or 55-57 T-Bird), with similar damage, would have been treated in this fashion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdaddy Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Hope this doesn't get too far from this topic,....But, for as long as I could remember, there was a local Buick, Pontiac and Studebaker dealer in my area. This guy was a little strange to say the least. On this lot were probably 30-40 Studebakers of all kinds. He closed the doors in the '70s, with 4' of weeds growing up around the cars. 10-15 of these Studebakers were "Brand New" never sold, No Avantis though. Around the early 1980's the owner died and I went to the estate sale. I bought a 1958 silver hawk with 15,000 mi, on the clock. It was traded in to him in 1960 and never sold. Of course it was pretty rough along with the rest of 'em. including a '53 tractor trailer tanker. In this flock were "New" Studes 1960-1966, with 3 or 4 being ragtops. I wish that I could have saved them all, but unfortunately most of them were scrapped. SAD...SAD....SAD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted December 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Hope this doesn't get too far from this topic,....But, for as long as I could remember, there was a local Buick, Pontiac and Studebaker dealer in my area. This guy was a little strange to say the least. On this lot were probably 30-40 Studebakers of all kinds. He closed the doors in the '70s, with 4' of weeds growing up around the cars. 10-15 of these Studebakers were "Brand New" never sold, No Avantis though. Around the early 1980's the owner died and I went to the estate sale. I bought a 1958 silver hawk with 15,000 mi, on the clock. It was traded in to him in 1960 and never sold. Of course it was pretty rough along with the rest of 'em. including a '53 tractor trailer tanker. In this flock were "New" Studes 1960-1966, with 3 or 4 being ragtops. I wish that I could have saved them all, but unfortunately most of them were scrapped. SAD...SAD....SAD! Wow!.....very interesting story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdaddy Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Wow!.....very interesting story! Mfg, Yes it is! I lived close to this place at the time and didn't even realize till the auction that some of these were still new! Keep in mind that I had a '29 Ford, '35 chevy coupe, '72 Chevelle, and a '68 Camaro drag car at this time, so when my Wife came home from shopping and saw the Hawk on the trailer she said "Please tell me that we don't own that Studebaker!!!" ................Amazingly we're still married! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted December 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 There were two wrecked Studebaker Avantis sitting side-by-side in a backyard in Shirley, Mass for the longest time. Both Avantis were minus their 'noses', as they were both involved in front end collisions. But, once again, this fellow collected Studes, and it wasn't an 'official' auto graveyard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted December 10, 2014 Report Share Posted December 10, 2014 About five or six years ago, there was an R2 Avanti that was wrecked by a tree or pole falling across it (in NC I believe). It was advertised in Craigslist...the photo showed the car collapsed across the roof. A fellow in northern Virginia bought the whole car for $1500...complete R2 engine and all. I bought the rear glass and trim and he parted the rest of the car out. I believe he came out quite well financially on the deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARK Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Three years ago I visited the owner of a 63 R1 that was under a tarp for years. Removing the tarp I was horrified as the interior was full of leaves and crap as the windows were left open; mold, mildew & animal remains. I offered the owner $1000 as is. He originally agreed after finding the bill of sale. The next day when I went to see him, pay him, and get a tow truck, he said his uncle wanted $7500 firm. I discussed the original deal to no avail. A few weeks later N.J. had a Noreaster storm and the car went under water. I called the guy and told him not only is he an idiot, he is a fool. He hung up on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Three years ago I visited the owner of a 63 R1 that was under a tarp for years. Removing the tarp I was horrified as the interior was full of leaves and crap as the windows were left open; mold, mildew & animal remains. I offered the owner $1000 as is. He originally agreed after finding the bill of sale. The next day when I went to see him, pay him, and get a tow truck, he said his uncle wanted $7500 firm. I discussed the original deal to no avail. A few weeks later N.J. had a Noreaster storm and the car went under water. I called the guy and told him not only is he an idiot, he is a fool. He hung up on me. I feel your pain!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdaddy Posted December 23, 2014 Report Share Posted December 23, 2014 Three years ago I visited the owner of a 63 R1 that was under a tarp for years. Removing the tarp I was horrified as the interior was full of leaves and crap as the windows were left open; mold, mildew & animal remains. I offered the owner $1000 as is. He originally agreed after finding the bill of sale. The next day when I went to see him, pay him, and get a tow truck, he said his uncle wanted $7500 firm. I discussed the original deal to no avail. A few weeks later N.J. had a Noreaster storm and the car went under water. I called the guy and told him not only is he an idiot, he is a fool. He hung up on me. Seen it many times, the owner has no intention of doing anything with it, but for some reason thinks it's worth a fortune. Watches too much "Barrett Jackson". For the most part they have no idea how much time and $$$ it takes, to take a corpse and breath life into it again. When I go shopping I've got the trailer and a pocket full of Cash. Don't give 'em time to change their mind. Your story is just Sad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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